by Tekle »In one of the unedited part of the documentary, a frightened, harmless-looking guy sits in a chair before his torturers. He speaks with a soft low voice. When his voice betrays him, he gestures with his head. Whenever his interrogators raise their voice or change their tones or sound to argue, he just nods to get free from their torture. He looks tired, exhausted and hopeless. Comparing the last picture he had before he was arrested to the picture in the documentary shows the suffering he went through over the last six months, i.e. after his detention in late July, 2012.
The state-owned television showed the six parts documentary on all of its channels (Channel 1, 2, 3, 4 ...) while the trial of over 29 muslim Ethiopians, who were accused of planning to commit terrorst activities or engaging in terrorism in Ethiopia is going on in a special chamber set up for this purpose close to the notorious Kality prison in the outskirts of Addis Ababa. It is alleged in the documentary that the Muslim activists were working day and night to establish an Islamic State of Ethiopia, an idea, even Allah/God himself does not have. For the rebel-turned-government, the TPLFites, it did not occur that purposeful Allah does not dream Islamic Ethiopia. The 82 years old Ethiopian, a resident of Toronto, Sheikh Muhammod Said said at a fundraiser in December 2012, “Ethiopian Muslims could not even dream, leave alone think, of forming an Islamic state.”
The Ethiopian government saw in the believers, what the believers themeslves could not see in their dreams. At a time when even countries with Muslim majority, such as Turky, promise to defend their secular statehood to death, how can minority Muslims wish to form an Islamic state of Ethiopia, where they form only one third of the nation? (of course I understand some Muslims do not accept this census). The bottom-line is that this idea of forming an Islamic government alleged by the late-dictator Zenawi and his successors is insanity of the highest form. The sole purpose of the allegation is to create fear and doubt among Christian Ethiopians.
What makes the Video Worse is
What is insane about the whole thing is the audacity of the government to show the documentary on the TV. The documentary is intended to have double impacts; to frighten any ordinary christian Ethiopian that the terrorists are coming into his/her backyards. Christians would think that the government is taking actions to protect them from Islamist fanatics who were conspiring bloodshed for Ethiopia. For Christians who lost their churches or loved ones as a result of some rowdy outlaws, the story the government tried to sell by the documentary is easy to buy. This is a one-sided dicatator’s calculation; of course it might be right and many will heed it.
The Unintended Consequence, Muslims’ resentment
Here is the unintended consequence of the documentary that the producers did not have the intelligence to foresee or chose to ignore willfully. Ethiopian Mulims would be inspired by this act of savagery the detainees gone through. Any sane muslim would not be gald to see his or her fellow muslim being paraded on TV in an undignified manner, being tortured and humiliated. Any muslim, including those who have disagreement and difference with the detainees, including the Tigreans, will regret this acts of cruelity by the TPLFites. What the government labled as criminals or terrorists will be heroes in the heart of every muslim and rational educated christians. The big demonstrations we saw in the last couple of Fridays as well as the resurgence of the Muslims’ resistance in various forms despite the attacks on their leaders over the 12 months is good testimony for that.
The Danger, the Common purpose
The dangerous consequence of the video, in my opinion, which is very problematic for our common purpose, is that this movement will be more of a religious issue that concerns only the muslims than a justice issue that concerns every Ethiopian or humanity as Obang Metho says. Those Ethiopians, especially the Christians, who are vulnerable to the deceptive and sensitive narration of the Islamists undertaking to control Ethiopia alleged by the TPLFites, will definitely side with the government on this issue; an issue that is more important than all other issues.
What shall we do?
Here is my position. The burden is on us to keep this movement a struggle for justice; not a struggle for religious dominancy. If the demand raised by the Muslims is a religious demand, it won’t be the Christians’ business. The only way all Ethiopians can become part of the Muslim’s struggle is if their struggle is a struggle for justice; for the supremacy of the rule of law. That is the only way to abort the governments’ effort to divide the Christians and the Muslims with this documentary or any other methods in the future.
As I said earlier, the documentary is intended to keep the Muslims and the Christians apart. To make one enemy of the other. To make one look like a threat to the other; to instill suspicion in each other’s heart. We should not surrender to that trap. That is the TPLF’ trap; they only target their immediate success and they don’t care about the lasting negative consequence of their methods. Dictators sacrifice whatever they control, our heritage and harmony, including us, to gain short victory. The solution for that is making the Muslims’ question a question for the respect of civil and political rights; an issue the heroic detainees and their fellow Muslims have been trying to avoid at the beginning of the movement. That won’t take us long.
The problem Muslim Ethiopians face currently emanates from the lack of responsible civilized government that tolerates dissent; a government that does not comply with its own constitution. The detention of innocent Ethiopians did not start with the Muslims. It was there before July 2012. Jehadawi Harekat is a continuation of Akeldama and other pre and post-2005 documentaries produced by the government to either create fear among the public or influence the outcome of a mock trial. The detention of the Muslim activists is also part and parcel of the violent onslaught the TPLF government unleashed over the peaceful democratic forces of Ethiopia, political parties, journalists and labour unions, over the last 22 years. What ties the detentions, abuses, including the attack on the Muslim activists, and the persecution, together is that they are perpetrated by an illegitimate government that does not respect its own constitution. The Muslims’ question is therefore a political one however hard some try to avoid that label.Other than making the movement a political one, fellow Muslim Ethiopians should refrain from any kind of action that fuels the accusations of the government and the fear of non-Muslim Ethiopians. One good example I personally disagree with and many friends confided in me is their concern about the speech by the Egyptian American Sheik at the first year anniversary of the Muslims’ protest in Washington, DC held a couple of weeks ago. The speech was for most part a great tribute paid to Ethiopia’s contribution to Islam. However, the reference of the speaker to the state/government of Ethiopia as a Christian government did not settle well with many people. That kind of reference has the power of destroying the great message the Sheikh delivered.
The remark made by the MC at the above-noted occasion also made some of us uncomfortable. The MC said that the Sheikh was so intelligent that every time the Muslim Ethiopians at the First Hijera discuss about what to do in Ethiopia to demand their rights, they turn to the Egyptian American Sheikh for advice. This is a confirmation to the government’s allegation that the Muslim protesters were supported and incited by outsiders. Knowing that Egypt and Ethiopia are long-time rivals, turning to an Egyptian seeking an advice about what we do in Ethiopia is at least misguided and at most dangerous.
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